Residents of Lololo in Lautoka have launched a petition demanding immediate government action to repair severely degraded roads that community leaders say have been ignored for years. Spokesperson Monil Narayan told this newspaper last Thursday that the petition, backed by supporting signatures, follows repeated but fruitless complaints to the Advisory Council chairman, Fiji Roads Authority (FRA), district officers and local Members of Parliament.
Narayan said the poor state of access roads is compromising emergency response, schooling and livelihoods. Approximately 300 residents across settlements including Dakua 1 and 2, Sompal Road, Wainamo Road and Tuka Road rely on those public access routes, which also function as sugar cane access roads and the main routes for schoolchildren attending Drasa School. “The roads are in deplorable condition with no gravelling, drainage, or culverts,” he said. “During rainy seasons, they become impassable. Emergency vehicles cannot reach the area, and agricultural produce cannot get to markets, causing financial losses to families.”
Lololo Road itself was singled out as particularly damaged. Narayan said the route serves roughly 500 residents and commercial operations such as Fiji Pine Group Ltd, but heavy trucks, poor drainage, deep potholes and unsafe bridges have made travel dangerous. Public transport has not serviced Lololo Road for nearly a decade, he added, forcing residents to rely on costly taxis and carrier services for basic travel.
Demonstrating local commitment, the community’s mataqali has agreed to provide free gravel for repairs, and the petition calls on government agencies to supply machinery — graders, diggers, trucks and rollers — and technical assistance to restore proper drainage and culverts. The submission is being framed as a last resort after local appeals produced no tangible work on the ground, Narayan said.
The petition also notes a critical safety gap: the current road conditions prevent timely access by emergency vehicles. That detail underscores broader concerns raised in recent national coverage about rising road fatalities and renewed government attention to road safety and infrastructure. While Fiji has moved to fund climate-resilient road upgrades under recent bilateral arrangements, residents of Lololo say those programs have not translated into repairs for their community.
Requests for comment to the Fiji Roads Authority and to Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau have gone unanswered, Narayan said. The petitioners have asked for a formal response and a timetable for works so emergency access, school transport and agricultural supply chains can be restored.
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